Barcelona star slams transfer reports linking him to MLS move

With the subject of Lionel Messi's contract hanging over their heads, no one appears to be safe in the FC Barcelona squad. The club is desperate to free up some funds, and even World Cup-winning midfielder Sergio Busquets is being linked to a move away from the Camp Nou.

However, the Spanish midfielder, who is interim captain for Spain in Euro 2020 due to the absence of Sergio Ramos due to injury, is not interested in talking about a possible transfer. According to Goal, Busquets has spoken about being fully focused on his future with the Catalan giants.

The Barcelona veteran is being linked to a "lucrative" offer from Major League Soccer (MLS) in the USA, which could help the club generate funds and lighten their wage bill. However, he says that he has not received any offers from the MLS, and he fully intends to see through his contract which lasts until the end of the 2022/23 season.

That's still a long period of time, but Barcelona is starting to get desperate in their quest to sell players this summer and they are willing to terminate existing deals. The club needs to free up 200 million euros from their wage bill in order to accommodate Messi for next season, and still be within La Liga's financial fair play regulations.

"I have a valid contract and I am very comfortable at the club," said Busquets, who may be getting a call about a pay cut instead of an offer from the MLS. The Blaugrana may be forced to ask their first team players to accept further salary reductions if they are not successful in offloading as many players as they want in the next few weeks.

Messi's contract expired last June 30, and Barcelona need to act fast if they want to tie him down to an extension. They have so far been unable to get an agreement signed, owing to the fact that the club's finances are in shambles. They need to offload players quickly before they can realistically offer Messi an acceptable albeit massively reduced salary.

Messi is now a free agent, and there is no doubt that suitors have been knocking. It is believed that the Argentine wants to stay at the Camp Nou, but he has demands that need to be met.

"I trust the president and Leo's feeling. I wish him the best and I hope we can continue playing together for years," said Busquets.